Volume 2 – March 2004

Dear colleagues,

The Hellenic General Hospital Psychiatry Journal, podium of P.G.H.P.S. (Pan-Hellelenic General Hospital Society) and the HAPA (Hellenic American Psychiatric Association), continuing its scientific publishing course, presents to you in these two issues which are published together a selected group of articles that concern a wide spectrum of psychiatric themes.

The first part, which is the Hellenic Edition (Ai 4), is dedicated to Hellenic articles, while respectively the second one (Ai 5), is dedicated to English articles. This solution, in this period of time of rather rapidinformation, was judged necessary and fair because a delay would not be to the profit of neither thewriters nor the readers.

The present Hellenic Edition includes a series of selected papers with first the editorial article that discusses The bounds of contemporary clinical psychopharmacology. In this paper Prof. Caravatos develops in 18 different points, emphasizing the view that the contemporary pharmaceutical discoveries
will have to be included in a holistic scheme that will not ignore either psychopathology or psychotherapy
as a helping technique for the patient.

The next article, Application of a self-completed scale (OCDS) for the measurement of the compulsiveobsessive alcohol intake (Craving) to a Greek population of chronic alcoholics, refers to a research study of Mr. Moussas and al. which presents the Greek standardization of the questionnaire A.C.D.S. The above questionnaire measures the obsessive and compulsive aspects of alcohol craving.

The third article, A case report of insufficient sleep syndrome or chronic sleep deprivation of Mr. Grigoriadis, describes a case of insufficient sleep syndrome which provides the opportunity to discuss the attitude of people towards sleeplessness and daytime sleepiness. In the field of medicine the use of coercion as a last solution, even if human rights ideals are being
violated, is many times considered, even if not desirable, an inevitable therapeutic strategy. However, very little do we know for its repercussions to the patients that were forced into involuntary hospitalization and obligatory treatment. In this article, the authors Mr Iosifidis and al. are given the opportunity to negotiate through a psychiatric point of view, the subject of coercion treatment. In the study that follows, entitled Correlation between normal and psychological responses after olfactory stimulation of healthy subjects, the researches Sardi and Agelopoulos demonstrate that significant correlations exist between odorant strength and Olfactory Evoked Potentials (OEP).

The notion of somatization which appears to still remain a controversial subject despite its wide use in medicine constitutes the area of investigation of the general article with the title The notion of somatization-the theoretical consequences of a nontheoretical approach.

The seventh article with the title Inhibiting preventing factors against Ca of Mr. Iacovidis and al., describes the inhibiting factors (social- medical-personal-and factors related to sensitization and education policies) of the procedure of prevention of the most common health problem of our times. The final research paper of the Hellenic Edition with theme Personality profile of patients with Multiple Sclerosis attending a Mental Health Center, intends to decode the personality profile of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). Dr Garyfallos and his colleagues, based on the results of their research, support that a significant percentage of MS patients manifest histrionic personality disorder or histrionic traits. This finding possibly justifies the particular manner of daily matters management of these subjects.

On the other hand, dear colleagues, I am taking the opportunity to inform you that the scientific society P.G.H.P.S. has decided to organise, apart from the biennial Pan-Hellenic congress, a cycle of educational workshops under the general title The 4 Seasons of Psychiatry aiming at a re-palpable and in-depth investigation of certain selected clinical or not, psychiatric themes.

In these meetings that began with particular success in 2005 and from 2006 will become international, the goal is among others to approach with the logic of the American and west-European clinical practice a series of themes that constitute contemporary and/or important scientific challenges.

As it had been stated in the beginning, we see the signs of our times leading us towards therapeutic protocols delimited in the frame of guidelines (diagnostic but also therapeutic algorithm). These Guidelines distilling of research and clinical facts reflect the common position (Experts Consensus) of a certain specialists group. Correctly or wrongly, they tend to constitute basic or even unswerving delimitations of confrontation of psychiatric problems in the western at least hemisphere of world. As it usually is the case in science -and it should be-, the above position puzzles but simultaneously constitutes both a question and a challenge, which we believe deserves to be put into examination from our Greek colleagues for the benefice of course of the good meant clinical practice.

We hope that this examination, either in the frame of The 4 Seasons of Psychiatry or in that of the upcoming Pan-Hellenic Congress of P.G.H.P.S. in March 2007, will give the spark for an in-depth investigation as well as a resurgence of our knowledge through a constructive discussion, inner speculation and learning. In such a case, the journal would be interested in possibly publishing the Hellenic originating expert’s consensus of psychiatric therapeutic interventions.

Of course, another thought is the publication of a handbook of guidelines, which would be the results of the deliberation of selected Greek colleagues and which would be addressed to the Hellenic psychiatric society. Certainly, such an undertaking does not aim at altering attitudes and therapeutic behaviours, at least in this phase, but simply at proving itself useful in a first clinical level.

Nevertheless, taking into consideration that difficulties are multifaceted, we invite in a joint effort for the success of the above objective. Consequently, you should rest assured that every point or idea is welcome for discussion.